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Fear mongering is the use of fear to influence the opinions and actions of others towards some specific end.

If the federal government shuts down this Friday, few Illinois residents are likely to feel an immediate impact, but certain key services could still be halted.

Testing for some heavy metals and other toxic waste in the Great Lakes could stop. Illinois residents appealing Social Security denials may have to wait for resolution. And tourists traveling to President Abraham Lincoln’s historic home in Springfield would be turned away.

That’s a glimpse of what may happen in Illinois if a budget impasse results in the federal government sputtering to a stop this week, employee unions warned Wednesday. But the depth of the impact largely depends on how long the shutdown lasts.